Song of the Day
“Hymn of Joy” by Chris Tomlin
Scripture to reflect upon
- John 1:14,
- Matt 1:23,
- Ps 32:11,
- Phil 4:4,
- Zeph 3:17,
- Ps 19:1-6,
- 1 John 4:16,
- Luke 1:46-47 (ESV),
Devotional thought
I love the opening line of this old Hymn, “Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love”! It is our joy to worship the God who loved us and made His dwelling among us. This old hymn does an excellent job of connecting the creation with the splendor of the majestic Creator!
In the last line of the first verse we sing this prayer, “Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day”! Oh, that we all would be filled with the light of day at all times! That our hearts would be filled with a “never-dying” gladness, and that we truly would rejoice in our Savior!
As Thanksgiving passes by with lightning speed and we embrace for the Christmas season, I pray that we will take time to adore our risen Savior! May our evenings slow down a bit, and our mornings be filled with devotion to the God who loves us and gave Himself for us! Let’s not get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of a holiday schedule that we forget to adore Jesus – the very reason for our joy!
This particular arrangement of Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee has a chorus added to it. It declares, “Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel, Your love, has come here to dwell”. What more reason to rejoice do we need than to know that God is with us! He has come and fulfilled all of the righteous requirements of the law on our behalf. Jesus overcame the power of death so that we no longer have to live in fear of it! Emmanuel has given us access to forgiveness and everlasting life in His name!
Not only did Emmanuel come 2000+ years ago, but He comes and makes His dwelling in the lives of all who call on Him for salvation in the Person of the Holy Spirit! God makes His dwelling in the life of every believer today, and forever! For this reason, everyone who is godly should rejoice!
Rejoice in the Lord and be happy, you who are godly! Shout for joy, all you who are morally upright!
Ps 32:11
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for being my Emmanuel! Thank You for being with me in all things. I am so grateful to have the Holly Spirit in my life, and to know that I have salvation in Jesus! I do rejoice in You, Lord, and I ask that You help me to have the light of Christ radiating off of me to the light up the lost world around me to see Your love! In Jesus’ name. Amen!
